


Somewhere Between Trauma and Fear, but not Okay

by Ot3srock



Category: Descendants (Disney Movies), The Isle of the Lost Series - Melissa de la Cruz
Genre: Awkward Carlos, Bad Things Happen To Carlos, Carlos is a Dork, Carlos-centric, Comforting, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Evie & Carlos de Vil Friendship, Evie is a good friend, F/F, F/M, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Lover Jay, Mal tries, Multi, Nerdy Carlos, Past Child Abuse, Physical Abuse, Protective Jay, Sorry Not Sorry, really sorry for what you're about to read
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-28
Updated: 2017-10-28
Packaged: 2019-01-25 10:56:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,343
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12529756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ot3srock/pseuds/Ot3srock
Summary: So basically, another Descendants fanfic. Has several flashbacks.





	Somewhere Between Trauma and Fear, but not Okay

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer, I haven't really read the book yet, but I found a Wikia page about dear Carlos and used that for information. Also, you don't have to read the entire recitation of the periodic table. I put it in because it says he recites the periodic table when he's nervous. Also, I made his room a lot different, so it's not in the back of his mother's fur closet. She somewhat cares about him, too. Hope you enjoy, loves!

The first time it happened, he cried; screaming for the pain to stop, tears rushing down his face. Despite his sobs, the pain didn't stop until he was nothing but a bloody mess curled up on the cold, hard ground; his clothes torn and his pride ruined. The day had started out so well. For once, his mother hadn’t woken him with the usual callous attitude she had every day. No, this day was special. It was the day he had been waiting for since he could remember. His tenth birthday. This was the year he was finally double digits and the day was even more special because it was his golden birthday in more than one way. This day, October 10th, 2010, was the day his mother said he’d finally be responsible enough to make his own decisions and go outside alone. It was the biggest mistake of his life. Poor Carlos de Vil was laid sobbing on the concrete, the tears seeping into the cut on his lip and making it sting even worse, causing the boy to cry even more. Today was supposed to be special, yet again he was proven wrong by the horrors of the Isle of the Lost.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------

Once he pulled himself up and dragged his bleeding body back to the front porch of his house, Carlos hesitated to go in. ‘What will mother say? Will she be mad? Will she hit me, too?’ His thoughts were cut off by a cry sounding from inside, which made Carlos flinch.

“Carlos!” Cruella sobbed. Carlos slowly pushed open the door to find his mother in the sitting room with Jafar, Maleficent, and the Evil Queen. She was blowing her nose into a tissue and the other villains were comforting her while some kids sat across the room, looking at each other in shock. Cruella never cried. Carlos recognized one of the girls from school. Her name was Evie and she was his only friend.

“Mom?” Carlos asked cautiously, stepping into the room. Cruella looked up before running to her son and pulling him into a bone-crushing hug. Carlos hugged her back once he realized that her intentions were good. She was just scared. Any mother, regardless of how cruel, would be concerned for her child’s safety if he left at midday and hadn’t returned until late night. Once Cruella pulled away from the hug, she held Carlos’ shoulders and looked him in the eyes.

“Carlos, where have you been? I was so worried about you, dearest!” she exclaimed. “What happened to you?”

“I…” Carlos hesitated, looking at a particularly interesting spot on the dalmatian rug. _How would she react if she knew?_ “I fell. Down a hill,” he lied.

“Don’t lie to Mommy, dear,” Cruella instructed. Carlos expected her grip on his shoulders to tighten, but surprisingly, she just held him with a comforting touch. The boy closed his eyes and took a deep breath before forcing himself to look into his mother’s bright green eyes. He thought there would be anger or sadism in her expression, but all he saw was sincerity. There was a hint of something that Carlos could tell was fear from the many times he saw it in his own expression.

“I got beaten up,” Carlos admitted, looking down again. He didn't want to tell his mother the other thing that happened. Especially not in front of all these people. Cruella lifted her son’s chin with one finger and wiped at the tears slowly making their way down his cheeks.

“Some lowlife, I bet. Doesn’t know how special you are to me,” she grimaced before kneeling to her precious child’s height. Cruella swiped gently at Carlos’ busted lip with a silk glove covered hand, pulling back slightly when he flinched.

“It hurts,” he whimpered in explanation, tears flowing faster now. Cruella pulled him into a hug and he sobbed into her coat as the other villains and the kids looked on awkwardly. Once the pair pulled away, Cruella looked her son up and down.

“You need to clean up, dearest. Go to the bathroom and Mommy will be up in a minute,”  she instructed. Carlos obeyed, walking up the stairs to the bathroom next to his room. Cruella turned to the other villains and the kids. “I’ll be right back. Please make yourselves comfortable.” With that, she walked up the stairs and into the bathroom, where Carlos was sitting on the counter; legs swinging back and forth and eyes downcast, looking at the black and white tile of the floor. He had a washcloth next to him, damp with warm water, and the first aid kit open to his right.

“I’m sorry, Mom,” he mumbled, fingers running up and down his elbow nervously. Cruella walked to him and lifted his head, directing his gaze toward her.

“There’s nothing to be sorry for, dearest. Mommy’s not mad at you, Carlos,” Cruella assured, kissing his forehead and making sure to avoid any bleeding cuts.

“Really?” Carlos asked, brown eyes sparkling with hope.

“Really,” his mother confirmed. “Now let’s get you patched up.” She grabbed the washcloth and tenderly wiped at Carlos’ face, arms, and legs; cleaning the dried blood until the cuts, scrapes, and bruises were visible. She then put bandages on the cuts, delicately patching the one on his forehead and kissing it when she was done, just to make it feel better.

“Thanks, Mom.” Cruella picked up her son and carried him to his room so he could change into different clothes. He got into his dalmatian spotted pajamas and his mother carried him back down the stairs and into the sitting room. The two girls were looking at him and whispering to each other and the other boy was just staring at him while their parents conversed quietly with each other. The attention toward Carlos made him nervous and he buried his head in his mother’s neck to avoid the piercing gazes the children gave him.

“Carlos, dearest.” Carlos looked up at his mother’s soothing voice. “You remember Jafar, Maleficent, and the Evil Queen, right?” Cruella asked. Carlos nodded.

“It’s nice to see you again. How are you?” No matter how timid he was, the boy could never forget his manners. The villains all gave affirmative responses, purposely forgetting to ask how Carlos was doing, because how well could he be after what happened to him?

“Well, dear, these are their kids, Mal, Evie, and Jay,” Cruella introduced, pointing to the girls first and then the other boy. Carlos looked at them and for the first time noticed how alike they looked to their parents, even dressed in the same colors. Carlos waved shyly and Jay flashed him a nice smile.

“I like your pajamas. I have just plain red ones,” Jay complimented. Carlos blushed and smiled.

“Thank you.” Jay just winked at him and Carlos blushed even more. Cruella sat down in her favorite chair and cradled Carlos in her lap. All the crying mixed with the warmth from his mother caused Carlos’ eyelids to droop. His mother reached behind her chair and pulled out his favorite stuffed animal, a little penguin with a red jacket. Cruella stroked Carlos’ white hair as he curled into her lap and fell asleep.

“Goodnight, dearest. Happy birthday, little penguin,” Cruella whispered into his ear softly.

***

“Carlos? Are you paying attention?” Fairy Godmother asked, snapping Carlos out of his thoughts.

“Um, no. Sorry,” Carlos apologized, sitting up straight and taking out his notebook. He started to doodle on a blank page, drawing pictures that he could redraw on a larger scale later.

“Well, you missed our topic on child safety. Do you know who to tell if you or someone you know is being physically abused?” Carlos sat in shock at the question, just staring ahead blankly.

“An authority figure or trusted adult,” Jay answered, eager to show his knowledge.

“That's correct, Jay,” Fairy Godmother praised. “Evie? What do you do if you know someone is going to attempt suicide?”

“You tell an authority figure, like a cop or someone who can help and try to talk the person out of it,” Evie stated matter-of-factly. Carlos looked at her with a hurt expression and she just shrugged sadly before going back to her notes.

“Very good. Now, do you have any questions, Carlos?”

“Well, what if the child deserves it? Like he, I-I mean they didn’t do something right? What if it’s just a teaching lesson?” Carlos asked, looking at the teacher at the front of the classroom. The look of shock on her face made the boy avert his eyes.

“There is absolutely no reason to hit a child. Where did you ever get such an idea?” Fairy Godmother asked.

“Um…” Carlos hesitated, looking up at the clock to check the time. 10 seconds...9 seconds...8 seconds...7 “I…” 3...2...1... _Bring bring bring!_ The bell rang and Carlos rushed to grab his stuff and leave. He felt a hand grab his shoulder lightly and he jumped, turning around to come face to face with Fairy Godmother, a serene, yet fearful look in her expression.

“Carlos, may I talk to you?” she asked. Carlos nodded and gulped, terrified of what she’d ask.

“Yes, ma’am.” He slid his backpack off of his shoulder and sat back down in his seat.

“Thank you. I wanted to ask you about what you said,” Fairy Godmother explained. “Have you ever been abused in any way?”

“No. Just things on the Isle are a lot different than here. I knew some other kids who were. They thought it was just natural,” Carlos lied, scratching at his elbow nervously.

“Okay. Well, if someone does hurt you, you know that anyone in this school would be glad to help,” Fairy Godmother reminded. Carlos nodded again.

“I know.”

“Alright. You’re free to go.” Carlos gathered his things and left the classroom, where his friends were waiting outside the door for him.

“You alright?” Jay asked, wrapping an arm around Carlos’ waist.

“Fine. It was just a simple misunderstanding,” the younger boy explained, shooting Evie a glance that told her not to say a word. She nodded and laced her fingers with Mal’s, the group walking to the lunch room.

“You sure? You’re getting a stress rash,” Jay noted, watching his boyfriend scratch at his elbow and upper arm.

“It’s not a stress rash,” Carlos refuted, forcing himself to stop scratching by shoving his hands into his pockets. “Let’s just go meet Ben for lunch.” Carlos walked off and his friends looked at each other questioningly before walking after him.

***

“I’m sorry, Mom. Please,” Carlos pleaded as his mother led him down the long flight of spiral stairs.

“I know, dearest. But sorry won’t cut it this time. You’ve ruined Mommy’s most prized possession,” Cruella scolded, dragging the boy by his wrist forcefully toward the small room in the back of the basement.

“No. Please! Not the crawlspace!” Carlos dug his heels into the carpet in attempts to make his mother stop. She turned back to him and slapped him across the face, making the boy wince and grab his cheek. Cruella yanked Carlos to the little door, opened it, and pushed him in; closing the door behind him with a slam. Carlos curled into himself and cried, feeling claustrophobic in the dark area. He reached for the flashlight he had hidden down there, turned it on, and etched another tally mark on the wall; listening to the creaks of the house and the crickets chirping outside. He busied himself by thinking of all the ways he could appease his mother when he got out. It was such a dumb thing to do and he needed to find a way to avoid doing it in the future. He would be careful, so much more careful.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------

Roughly three hours later, Carlos heard the basement door open and he turned off his flashlight and hid it again. When the door to the crawlspace opened and Cruella motioned for him to come out, Carlos scrambled into his mother’s arms and she held him close to her chest.

“Do you know why Mommy put you in there?” Cruella asked.

“I got blood on your favorite coat,” Carlos answered sheepishly, averting his eyes from her cold stare.

“Very good. You’ve been a good boy, Carlos and Mommy’s sorry she left you in there for so long, but you understand that you need to know that Mommy’s prized possessions are not to be ruined,” Cruella explained.

“I’m sorry,” Carlos apologized sincerely, looking at the carpet. Cruella lifted his chin and wiped his tears.

“It’s okay, dear. You’ve been a good boy. Do you know what that means?”

“Supper?” Carlos guessed. His mother nodded.

“Yes. Supper is for good boys. Let’s go.” She picked him up and carried him up the stairs into the kitchen to get food.

***

“Carlos?” Ben asked and Carlos looked up.

“What?” he scratched at the back of his neck and his collarbone. His friends all looked at him with concern etched across their faces. “What did I miss?”

“We were thinking about going somewhere tomorrow afternoon. You in?” Ben asked.

“Uh, maybe. What day is tomorrow?”

“October 10th,” Ben answered. “Why?”

“I, uh, I can’t go. I’ve got a huge coding project I’m behind on and I just really gotta catch up,” Carlos lied, his scratching getting worse, even leaving behind red patches on his naturally pale skin.

“You sure? We wouldn’t feel complete without you,” Ben coaxed.

“I’ll try to see what I can do, but no promises,” Carlos told him.

“Hey, ‘los? Can I talk to you for a second?” Jay asked. Carlos nodded.

“Sure.” He stood and followed Jay out of the cafeteria and into an empty hallway nearby. “What's up?”

“Are you feeling okay? You keep zoning out,” Jay noticed, concern evident in his voice.

“I'm fine. Just tired,” Carlos offered in explanation.

“You sure? ‘Cause you keep scratching. I'm worried you're getting a stress rash.”

“It'll go away in a little bit, don't worry,” Carlos assured his boyfriend.

“Okay. Hey, ‘los?”

“Yeah?”

“I love you.” Jay grabbed Carlos’ hands in his own and kissed the boy’s forehead before pulling him into a hug, their arms wrapped around each other's waists.

“I love you, too,” Carlos mumbled into Jay’s chest. Jay lifted the boy's chin and kissed his lips before lacing their fingers and walking back to the cafeteria.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------

Carlos was on edge the entire rest of the day and was now tossing and turning in his bed. Normally, Jay would stay with him until the white haired boy fell asleep, but Jay was doing some midnight training, as had been the case for the last week or so. Now, here Carlos was, trying to get comfortable in his Auradon bed; Dude laying in his own bed next to Carlos, sleeping soundly. The boy had just started to fall asleep when his phone rang and Carlos jolted up and grabbed it, waking Dude.

“Sorry, bud,” the boy apologized before answering the call. “Hello?”

 _“Carlos?”_ The voice asked. Carlos recognized it instantly.

“Mom?”

_“Yes, dearest. It's Mommy.”_

“Mom, what's going on? It's three in the morning. Why are you calling?” Carlos asked groggily.

 _“I wanted to be the first person to wish you a happy birthday, Carlos,”_ Cruella explained. Carlos paused for a moment, he had completely forgotten in his insomnia-induced fatigue.

“Right. Thank you.”

 _“You're very welcome, dear. I'll let you sleep, now, but I'll call tomorrow to see how your day is.”_ Carlos was so tired he didn't hear the last part.

“Goodnight.” He hung up, turned over, and fell asleep.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------

“We're so glad you decided to come out with us today, Carlos,” Evie beamed, holding Carlos’ hands.

“Yeah. I, uh, finished the project earlier than I thought I would, so I've got some time to kill,” Carlos lied.

“Well, we're happy regardless. Now, let’s go!” Evie pulled him into the limo before he could change his mind. Carlos sat in the middle of the seat facing the driver with Jay next to him. Evie sat across from Carlos with Mal sitting next to her and Ben sitting next to Mal.

“Where are we going, anyway?” Carlos asked. His friends sent each other wary glances and Jay took Carlos’ hand in his own.

“We're going to the mall, babe,” Jay said. Carlos froze, malls terrified him. Every shopping trip with his mother involved him holding all of her bags and giving her his “opinion” on whatever she tried on. If he was good, she'd let him have a treat, maybe she'd lay off on his chore list for the week or give him extra dinner. Carlos shuddered at the thought of shopping for undergarments with his mother. He couldn't get the leopard printed panties out of his head.

“I-I don't know. The mall seems kind of crowded,” Carlos fretted. Jay rubbed his hand in a soothing motion.

“It’ll be okay. I’ll be with you the entire time, ‘los. Don’t worry about a thing,” Jay calmed. Carlos took a deep breath in and slowly let it out, avoiding a dangerous panic attack. His friends smiled at him the entire ride until they got to Auradon City Mall. The group piled out of the limo and headed into the shopping center. Carlos saw his friends give each other looks that he couldn’t quite read and Mal cleared her throat.

“Well, E and I need new bras. C’mon, Ben, let’s go.” Mal started to pull Ben and Evie away.

“Why are you taking Ben bra shopping?” Carlos asked skeptically. “That’s never fun for a guy to do. Trust me.”

“Well, A, he’s gonna help us choose, and B, we’ve also got some other _important_ errands to run,” Evie elaborated. Before Carlos could say another word, the three walked off, leaving Jay and Carlos alone in the swarm of people bustling to get things done and buy items that they hadn’t even thought about buying before they got to the mall.

“So, where do you want to go first, ‘los?” Jay asked, seemingly brushing off the previous events as if they were nothing.

“I dunno. Anywhere is good,” Carlos answered with a shrug.

“Alright. Skate shop it is!” Jay exclaimed before pulling Carlos over to a nearby store. The walls were lined with boards of all shapes, sizes, colors, and patterns. The counters were glass and filled with accessories such as wheels, helmets, stickers, and tool kits.

“Woah.” Carlos looked around in awe at all the other “skating necessities” like spray paint, knee and elbow pads, hair dye(mostly black), sunglasses, and pre-ripped clothes.

“Pretty awesome, right?” Jay beamed from his place kneeling in front of one of the counters, eyeing a set of red wheels.

“I guess so,” Carlos spoke. “I never learned to ride.”

“Hmm. I'm self taught, and I picked it up pretty fast,” Jay bragged. “I could teach you. If you want, that is.”

“Yes!” Carlos caught himself and leaned against a display of sunglasses, trying to look nonchalant. “I-I mean, sure. That'd be pretty cool.” The boy never passed up a chance to be taught by Jay, especially if it involved a lot of touching.

“Cool.” Jay typed something into his phone and stood up. “Ready?”

“Yeah.” Jay grabbed his hand and headed to the next shop, a mechanic shop. Carlos’ eyes lit up at the sight of all the remote controlled airplanes and buildable robots.

“See anything you like?” Jay asked, smirking at his boyfriend’s look of total awe at the store’s content. Carlos’ hand slipped out of Jay’s as he looked at a coding keyboard that Jay took a picture of.

“I-I-I.” Carlos stuttered before finding his voice again. “This is the best store ever! I-I didn’t know they made an entire store of these things! This is my dream store! Jay! This is all that I’ve dreamed of since coming here!” Carlos rambled. “Well, that and ice cream.” Jay just smiled genuinely, lacing their fingers once again while Carlos pulled him to different sections, looking in awe at all different things, Jay taking pictures of all of them.

“Do you have anything you really want, babe?” Jay asked, squeezing Carlos’ hand lightly to get the boy to focus.

“That.” Carlos pointed across the store to a gigantic mechanics set on display. “It’s an Animatron 3000. It has over 100,000 pieces that you can mix and match to make anything. I’ve dreamed of having it since I was a little kid,” he bubbled dreamily. “The only problem is that it’s over $1000. I can’t afford it.” Carlos’ face fell and it made Jay want to do anything to get the smile back.

“Hey, how about this? I'll buy you something now, and when you have enough money, I'll take you here to buy it for Christmas, or something,” Jay suggested, smiling when Carlos beamed with pure joy.

“Okay! I've been meaning to make a voice-activated lock for the door just in case Chad makes another replica key. Can't have a repeat of last time.”

“Right. That'd be bad,” Jay agreed. “Anyway, what do you need, ‘los?”

“Not too much more, I think. Just a few wires and a memory card. The simple stuff,” Carlos said.

“Alright.” Once Jay bought all the items Carlos picked out, they left the store and sat on some chairs nearby while Carlos assembled the rest of his machine. Jay stood up and Carlos looked at him with terror in his brown eyes.

“Where are you going?” the boy asked. Jay knelt in front of him and rested a hand on the white haired boy’s cheek.

“I'm just going to the bathroom, Carlos. It'll be okay. Just keep working and I'll be back in a few,” Jay assured. He hoped his lie would placate his boyfriend. To his surprise, Carlos smiled.

“Okay. I love you.” The younger teen leaned forward and placed a lingering kiss to Jay’s lips. Jay kissed back for a few seconds before pulling away, standing up, and walking away; what Carlos said still in the forefront of his mind. Carlos had never said “I love you” first, nor had he initiated a kiss. Jay was always the one to do that.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------

“Hey, guys, what's Christmas?” Carlos asked as the group sat in the food court.

“You don't know what Christmas is?” Ben asked in awe. “I thought that was the one thing that Auradon and the Isle both celebrated.” Evie took his hand

“It usually is, but some families just don't,” she explained before turning to Carlos. “Christmas is a holiday where people give each other gifts and they decorate the house with lights and tinsel and make gingerbread houses and drink eggnog. There are songs just for the holiday and my mother and I would dance around the house. It was fun.” Nostalgia crossed Evie’s face as she recounted some of her best memories with her mother.

“Oh. My mom just made my chore list shorter. That was her present for holidays. She said I was too selfish for Christmas presents. She said I was lucky I wasn't punished for asking about presents. She said that giving birth to me was the only gift I was ever gonna get,” Carlos admitted, looking down at his tray of food. The others, except Evie, stared at him with shock. Carlos never opened up about the Isle. Not what really happened. He’d just brush it off and say he didn’t want to go back.

“Let’s talk, Carlos,” Evie instructed, noticing the tears welling in her friend’s eyes. She stood up and lightly tapped Carlos’ shoulder. He handed his bag to Jay and followed Evie to an empty section of the shopping center near the hallway to the bathrooms. Instead of saying something, Evie just pulled her friend into her arms. Carlos hugged her back, letting himself be truly comforted. When they pulled away, Carlos wiped his eyes and smiled.

“Thank you, Evie.”

“Of course. You know she can't get you here, right? There's no way past the barrier,” Evie reminded, rubbing soothing circles on her friend’s palm.

“Yeah. But you remember how I told you I made a hole in the barrier?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“Well, that's still there. And now my mother uses it once a year to call me on my birthday. As in, today,” Carlos admitted.

“What? Carlos, I thought that closed!” Evie whisper-exclaimed.

“Me too! But, apparently, it opens once a year.”

“Wait, you said your mother calls you? Is that why you didn't want to come with us today?” Evie asked. Carlos nodded. “Why didn't you tell me?”

“What am I supposed to say? ‘Hey, Evie, remember that invention I made that opened a little hole in the barrier on accident that was closed immediately after? Well, now the hole reopens every year on my birthday and my mother, who I'm deathly afraid of, somehow contacts me through a phone she slipped into my backpack when I wasn't looking’!” Carlos answered, half mockingly.

“You're right. That sounds dumb. But has she called yet?”

“Yeah. Last night. So I'm not worried about it.”

“Good. We should head back,” Evie said. Before they could move, Jay walked over.

“Hey, Carlos, someone prank called you pretending to be your mother. They said they have a present for you,” he said. All the color drained from Carlos’ face and he looked like he was gonna cry, scream, and throw up all at once. Jay and Evie just stared at the white haired boy as he realized just what he’d missed last night in his tired haze.

“I think I’m gonna be sick,” the teen groaned out before rushing down the hallway to his right and into the men’s bathroom at the end. He pushed open the door and ran into the largest stall, kneeling in front of the toilet and gripping the sides as he threw up. Carlos felt someone rub his back in calming circles and he knew it was Jay. As if to prove his point, Jay shushed him quietly.

“Shh. It's okay. Everything's gonna be okay,” the older teen whispered in his boyfriend’s ear soothingly. Jay noticed the red patches on Carlos’ neck among several scars and scratches. Carlos leaned back and took a few deep breaths before starting his calming process.

“Hydrogen. Helium. Lithium. Beryllium. Boron. Carbon. Nitrogen. Oxygen. Fluoride. Neon. Sodium. Magnesium. Aluminum. Silicon. Phosphorous. Sulfur. Chlorine. Argon. Potassium. Calcium. Scandium. Titanium. Vanadium. Chromium. Manganese. Iron. Cobalt. Nickel. Copper. Zinc. Gallium. Germanium. Arsenic. Selenium. Bromine. Krypton. Rubidium. Strontium. Yttrium. Zirconium. Niobium. Molybdenum. Technetium. Ruthenium. Rhodium. Palladium. Silver. Cadmium. Indium. Tin. Antimony. Tellurium. Iodine. Xenon. Cesium. Barium. Lanthanum. Cerium. Praseodymium. Neodymium. Promethium. Samarium. Europium. Gadolinium. Terbium. Dysprosium. Holmium. Erbium. Thulium. Ytterbium. Lutetium. Hafnium. Tantalum. Tungsten. Rhenium. Osmium. Iridium. Platinum. Gold. Mercury. Thallium. Lead. Bismuth. Polonium. Astatine. Radon. Francium. Radium. Actinium. Thorium. Protactinium. Uranium. Neptunium. Plutonium. Americium. Curium. Berkelium. Californium. Einsteinium. Fermium. Mendelevium. Nobelium. Lawrencium. Rutherfordium. Dubnium. Seaborgium. Bohrium. Hassium. Meitnerium. Darmstadtium. Roentgenium. Copernicum. Ununtrium. Flerovium. Ununpentium. Livermorium. Ununseptium. Ununoctium,” he recited, his breathing evening out around Praseodymium. Carlos wiped his mouth and turned to Jay.

“You okay, ‘los?” the seventeen year old asked.

“I will be. Thanks.” Carlos stood and walked over to the sinks to wash out his mouth.

“What happened?”

“That wasn't a prank call. That was my mother calling me on a phone she planted on me when I wasn't paying attention. Because of the hole I made on accident, she gets to call me once a year,” Carlos confessed. He felt like curling into a ball and not moving for at least a year. As if reading Carlos’ mind, Jay pulled the boy into a hug.

“It’s okay, Carlos. I know what you’re feeling,” Jay whispered. Once they pulled away, the boyfriends walked out of the bathroom hand in hand, Carlos leaning his head on Jay’s shoulder.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------

“Hey, Carlos, we’ve got a surprise for you,” Mal said as the five were sitting in Jay and Carlos’ room later that evening. Carlos looked up from his computer, pausing his music and cocking his head to one side.

“What kind of surprise?” he asked.

“A good one, don’t worry,” Mal assured. “Now close your eyes.” Carlos obeyed and his friends silently snuck out of the room to get the supplies.

“Alright. You can open your eyes,” Ben told Carlos. The teen opened his eyes to find several neatly wrapped boxes and a chocolate cake with the number 16 on it. Carlos gaped. This was the nicest thing anyone had ever done for him. He couldn’t help it, he started crying, closing his eyes as tears fell down his cheeks. He felt someone lift the computer off his lap and pull out his headphones gently. Jay’s soothing voice floated into Carlos’ ears.

“Hey. You okay?” Jay asked. Carlos nodded and opened his eyes to find Jay knelt in front of him, a concerned look plastered on his face.

“I’m fine. It’s just no one’s ever done this for me. Thank you guys so much.” Carlos smiled happily as tears slipped down his freckle-spotted cheeks. Jay wiped them away with the pad of his thumb before kissing the boy gently on the lips. Carlos kissed back gently and melted into his boyfriend’s lips. They pulled away and Jay handed Carlos a small, brightly wrapped box. Carlos opened it carefully to find an assortment of pins with different sayings like _It’s like magic but it’s science_ , _electricity is a mechanic’s best friend_ , and _I’d love to, but my robot says I can’t_. Carlos laughed at that last one, sending a toothy smile to his boyfriend.

“Do you like them?” Jay asked, honey brown eyes sparkling with hope.

“I love them, thank you,” Carlos told his boyfriend.

“Alright, my present next,” Evie gushed, handing her friend a rectangular object with a red bow on top. Inside the silver wrapping paper was a copy of _The Fantastic Inventions of Nikola Tesla_ by Nikola Tesla. Jay moved to sit next to Carlos as Evie gave the white haired boy a hug.

“Thank you, Evie.”

“Okay, Carlos. Our presents go together,” Mal explained. She had gotten Carlos a new tool belt with the initials COdV sewn onto the front and Ben got him a new set of tools perfect for a electrical mechanic that also had Carlos’ initials on them.

“This is exactly what I needed to finish my voice-activated lock!” Carlos exclaimed, hugging both of them.

“There's just one more gift we have for you,” Ben sad, pushing a large box over to the birthday boy. Carlos opened it carefully, cautious of getting little bits of paper on the floor. When it was open, the newly sixteen year old gasped, staring at his dream present as tears pricked the corners of his eyes.

“A-an Animatron 3000?” he asked in disbelief. “But how? It's so expensive.”

“Well, Jay told us how much you wanted it and we all pooled our money and bought it for you,” Ben explained. “You're worth every penny we spent.”

“You guys really didn't have to do that.”

“Of course we did. Like Ben said, you're worth everything. The amount of times you've fixed things for us without even wanting a ‘thank you’ in return is enough for us to buy you the one thing you've dreamed about your entire life,” Jay declared. Carlos didn’t say anything, looking at the machine with a spark in his eyes. His friends could tell that he was working out every combination of inventions he could make in his head all at once. Jay leaned over and kissed Carlos’ cheek tenderly and the boy froze, eyes clearing and he shook his head to evacuate his brain of the invasive thoughts.

“Well, thank you. This is the best gift ever, you guys. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, Carlos. Now, let’s have cake," Mal said, cutting the cake and serving it to her friends. Carlos couldn't have been any happier on his birthday.

**Author's Note:**

> So, there you have it. 10 pages of a fanfic; over 5,000 words. Hope you enjoyed. I have another chapter coming soon, maybe. It all depends on whether people like this. Leave comments, please and kudos. I even take suggestions and criticisms. Anything helps.


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